He'll do anything to protect her.
Chapter One.
A Voice in the night
Tommy lay in the dimly lit room, finally he had found solace in the much needed sleep. Giving up his responsibilities for the Dino-thunder team hadn't sat well with him, and neither did the loss of sleep that followed, but he knew it's what the team need. With Connor the new leader and Hailey confidently overseeing the team, he was assured they would do fine with his absents.
In a much unwelcomed disturbance from his 'Sweet Dreams', a high pitched shriek filled he room, his dream took a much more sinister turn, filled with undefeated monsters, and the one that got away… One, two three times on the forth ring he realized in fact there was no damsel to protect, but merely the phone, with a quick glance at the clock he answered with a sleepy, annoyed tone.
"Tommy?" He knew the sweet voice, he jumped up from his bed, memories of her flashing through his head, the room began to spin. "Kimberly?" There was a long pause. Did I hear fear in her voice, where's my pants? Turn the lamp on….When reaching for the lamp he convinced himself. No it couldn't be, she was venomous, vindictive, heartless even, Tommy argued with himself, The letter, the letter, that damn letter. Not now Oliver…Kim…Kimberly, She's on the phone…
"Kim...?,"
"Tommy I need your help." There it was, Tommy's heart nearly stopped. Yes she was indeed on the phone, and she was on the brink of crying, fear laced in that sweet voice? No Oliver not sweet, not sweet at all…
"What? What is it?" he pressed.
Her fearful gasp was accompanied by a loud banging.
"What's going on? Where are you?"
"I'm here, in angel grove I have been, for um, awhile…" The knocking became louder, and more aggressive. "Please, Tommy…" Now she was crying.
"Tell me where you are!' His heart was pounding, matching the now pounding on Kimberly's door.
"623 Holly Lane… The third floor, it's near the library," The pounding was fierce. "Oh… god" She whimpered. "Please Tommy…," The line want dead in a defining moment, and in that moment Tommy didn't know how to move. "Kim? Kimberly?!"
In a mix of training, adrenalin, fear and love he jumped into action, those lost pants found there way to his racing body in record time, accompanying his white sweater which was an after thought as it was the next available item in his sight. Without realizing this speed, Tommy raced to the directed destination.
Upon arrival his heart sank, blue and red lights danced on the nearby buildings. Tommy stopped the white SUV and didn't bother to take the keys. He ran as fast as he could, thinking the worst. What will I do if I've lost her? "Kim! Kimberly!?" He shouted as he reached the apartment building, Feeling like years went on until he reached the top step.
Then everything came to a startling halt.
"I'm sorry this is an official, sealed crime scene." An officer who was no match to Tommy said in and orderly fashion. 'oh god crime scene?'
"No… it's ok please, I called him." He never felt more relieve to hear her voice. But the shock of what he saw was like a blow to his stomach. Kim's arm and clothes were covered in bright red blood.
"Oh my god!" He rushed to her side. "Who did this?" Rage growing in his body, it was consuming him. She placed a battered but bloodless hand on his. The gaze in her eyes stilled and melted his heart.
The paramedic worked feverishly on Kimberly's left arm, but the blood flow wasn't slowing. "Mrs. Hart we're going to have to take you to the hospital, you're losing to much blood." His tone was condescending, as if Kim was two years in age and didn't understand the concept of a serious "booboo"
She looked down, almost giving up and willing to let this happen to her, Tommy saw this reaction. "Kim?" She looked up, tears threatening to pour down her very pale cheeks, clearly there was more to this then a break in.
"I'm riding with her!" Tommy stated, The paramedic's look wasn't of cooperation, Kimberly saw the exchange. "I'm not going if Tommy's not with me; I'd rather bleed to death then be without… him…" Kimberly caught herself stopping there knowing he didn't love her anymore, and that he was with Kat now.
She couldn't, she wouldn't relive all that pain again. "Fine we'll allow it under these circumstances. You might want to grab her something to change into," The paramedic suggested. Tommy looked around for the bedroom, making his way to the dresser to gather what he could find, when he made his way back to the living room, he stopped short, seeing this… seeing her, bloody, so pale, beaten and on a stretcher it was…indescribable.
Thanks to the roaring sirens and flashing lights, Kimberly and Tommy were where at the hospital in no time.
Trauma staff flooded Kimberly pulling her along to a trauma room where confusion and medical supplies consumed it. Tommy found himself being pushed further and further back as the hospital staff connected Kimberly's battered body to beeping, machines.
Then all he could hear were terms he understood, but just couldn't comprehend.
BP dropping,
Significant blood loss.
She's crashing.
Get O positive stat.
Everything was then faded out by a rapid beeping, as Tommy watched the nurses provide Kimberly with CPR.
"No..." whispered, was lost in the chaos, it was all Tommy could come up with. She was just talking to me…
Tommy found himself in the stark waiting room clinching Kimberly's clothes. Her scent radiating off the soft fabric was his only comfort now.
"Mr. Hart?" A small red headed nurse asked softly. Tommy looked up, he was the only person in the room, who else is she talking to?…Kim…
"Uh, it's Oliver…how is she?..."
"Oh, Mr. Oliver…are you related to Miss. Hart?"
"Yeah…yes I mean…she's uh, my wife…I mean going to, going to be….how is she??" Tommy struggled, he knew how this worked, unless he lied, he couldn't see her. This is bad…
"Stable, she's had two blood transfusions and countless stitches, her left arm required a minor surgery, and a few staples. She'll need help until it heals, but she should recover nicely…she's lucky, you got her here just in time." The nurse took a step closer to Tommy who was now standing, her tone seemed to change and she looked upset.
"When can I see her?" Tommy gathered Kim's clothing.
"Just a minute, Mr. Oliver, there seems to be a question as to where these injuries came from"
Silence impregnated the room as realization hit Tommy.
"Wait, if you're insinuating that I hurt her…"
"I'm not insinuating anything Mr. Oliver, she's very lucky she's alive." The nurse then concluded her visit with one last suspicious glare. "She's temporarily in room 313, she'll be moved soon."
Tommy dashed out of the waiting room in search of Kim's hospital room. As Tommy reached the elevator he could feel that same old protective nature come over him, the same nature that caused him to become easily enraged when it came to a compromise in Kimberly's safety.
As the small silver box began to move upward Tommy felt tears come on, his veins boiled with anger, in efforts to control himself he tightened his fist around Kim's pink sweater. "DAMNIT!!" His fist met the metal wall leaving a dent in the surface.
Ding.
Pull it together Oliver.
Tommy took a deep breath, and methodically heading to room 313.
309
310
311
312
Heart racing. Deep breath…
313
And there she was, as if hand delivered to him, after all these years...
She was awake…those doe eyes open, looking out at the merely rising sun. Just silently waiting…
Tommy sheepishly made a light knock on the door, memories of the last situation reflecting this one flashed before him. But this, this was not then, this was no bump on the head, a small stuffed animal would not make this all better.
She turned to him, and yet in this state, she still so gracefully moved that Tommy mistaken her for an angel.
Just as he opened up to speak to this angel, a nurse walked in.
"Kimberly…" The tone again condescending, only laced with a mother-ish disappointment. And as if mirroring a child, Kim seemed to cower under the harsh unspoken statement.
Tommy found himself observing Kim, rather then gazing at her beauty, like moments before. In defiance, Kim looked to her lightly trembling hands. "Kim you can't keep letting this happen ."
Wait. Keep letting this happen?
"Kelly I've tried" Tears forming in her eyes. Her voice cracking as she looked up. The nurse sighed and continued in the room toward the IV, carefully checking the liquids levels. "Lets see." Kelly reached for Kim's arm which she pulled up with little care, Kim hissed in pain. 'I suppose you'll live this time…two transfusions…Jeez Kim…What am I going to do with you?"
"I'm ok now…" Kim said simply, and then looked up at Tommy, who had neared when she reacted to Kelly's unorthodox way of checking Kim's bandages.
"And who is this handsome man?"
"Uh Hi, I'm Tommy Oliver." Tommy gently shook the nurses hand.
"Good." Was her only response, with one last look at Kim she left the room. Kim eyes returned to her hands.
"Hey I'm going to step out a minute to grab a drink, do you want anything?" He placed his hand on hers in order to gain her attention.
"I'm ok…and… thanks Tommy, for coming…" He said nothing. There were no words. He just kissed her on the head and walked out. Down the hall he saw the familiar glow of a soda machine and quickly got a coke. His mind was playing games with him; emotions all over the place but mostly he felt guilt. 'I wasn't there in time to keep her from harms way... I was always there; always I'd saved her every time. How could I fail this time?' He pushed the negative thoughts from his head. 'I'm here now and she's going to be ok, this could have been worst Oliver, but it's not'
Going back to Kim as fast as he could, he was about to pass the nurses station when he heard Kim's name being brought up. "Can you believe that she's here again!?" A voice he didn't recognize said. "I know I feel so bad, she's such a sweet girl, she just needs to get away from that guy as soon as possible, and you would have thought the miscarriage would have woke her up." That was a voice he did recognize that was Kelly, that unorthodox nurse.
His heart was heavy and he took a sharp breath. "Miscarriage?" He whispered to himself.
"Was the baby that creeps?" There was a pause between the two. Then some typing.
" You know she told me it wasn't, but she never told me who's it was. The poor girl she's been through so much, you know she's been here 6 times since the miscarriage." A chilled made Tommy flinch, He couldn't listen anymore, he was raging inside there were so many question s now, more then before. He needed to know and he didn't think he could wait.
"Kimberly" He said her name softly.
"The Doctor came in they said they are moving me." Just as she said that Kelly and another nurse came in to prep her to move 3 floors up. They unlocked the bed and wheeled her out the door. Tommy followed, not skipping a beat.
----
Finally everything was calm for good. Kim had a large comfortable room, and there was a pull out couch if Tommy wished to stay the night. (Of course he was staying; He wasn't letting her out of his sight.)
"Kim?" She turned to his voice, So much pain hiding in her brown eyes. "You need to tell me everything, what happened, why didn't you tell me you were here? And…"
"Tommy, I'm going to tell you everything, just please, please promise me something."
He thought for a moment, then nodded his head.
Kim took a deep breath. " Not matter what your about to hear… just please…stay" She said sheepishly, she didn't feel like she deserved him to be here, he was with Kat and she refused to hurt there relationship, even if she still loved him.
"Of course" He walked over to her slowly watching her sullenly pick at her hands.
"Promise me." She said eagerly fear coming through the faulty disguise.
"I promise beautiful" He said so softly, placing his hand on hers. Now she looked at him, fighting the tears and fears.
"When I came back that December….the night we spent with each other years ago." She didn't know how to word it correctly her thoughts were fragmented. She closed her eyes and search for the beginning.
"When I went back to Florida, This guy Michel was part of the medical staff at the gym, I had hurt my wrist on the uneven bars and he helped me. He started hitting on me, but I told him about you. Then he started harassing me, first little things, and then he stared showing up everywhere I went." Kimberly took a deep breath, Tommy cinched his teeth, subduing his anger.
"He first hit me when I told him that I didn't want to be with him that I was in love with you." Tommy gripped her hand when she reviled this. He tried to banish the image of his Kimberly being hit by another man.
"Tommy I found out that…" She looked down again, praying for courage. "That I…That we…" Tommy's grip on her loosened as he digested the information.
"I…I couldn't stay in Florida, Michael was unpredictable, and I didn't have just me to worry about…So I came home… I secured and apartment with moms help… No one knew, I wanted to tell you first but….Tommy I knew you were with Kat so I didn't really know how to tell you that I was pregnant." Tommy's blood ran cold. Realizing there was no baby. Her apartment was void of anything baby or child related. He closed his eyes, for a long time feeling the loss, where was their child? Then something she said occurred to him.
"Kat?' Tommy was baffled and it showed in his body language. At his declaration, Kim's heart fell.
"Tommy?" She was confused; she should have known he'd be thinking about Kat, what had she done involving him in this mess?
"Kim, why would you think I was with Kat?"
"What?...In your letter, you said that you were with Kat and that you thought she was the one for you, that you had a connection with her that you never had with me. You ended it, Tommy… in a letter you ended it." Tears released from Kimberly's brown eyes, feeling this pain again was something she wanted to avoid.
"Beautiful." He lifted her chin to look at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, I never sent you a letter. I never would." He paused. "So I take it the letter I got from you was a fake as well, in it you'd claimed you'd found someone you thought was the 'one' and you loved me like a brother." He said a bit more bitterly then he intended.
" I would never...I didn't"
They both took a moment to process everything.
"What happened? To the baby?" He wasn't sure he was ready for this but he had to know.
"Michael must have followed me here. I think he broke in and he must have found the ultrasound photos, because they were left on the kitchen table. I tried to make since of it, thinking maybe I mindlessly moved them. But to be safe I started checking around." Kimberly stopped talking and stiffened.
"I fought him as best as I could, but I… he targeted my abdomen." She sobbed, gripped onto the sheets feeling crushed by her memories.
"I tried Tommy, I tried to protect our baby but I couldn't" She paused, when he reached for her, she wrapping her arms around her waist with a desperate and starved grasp.
Tommy was in a state of shock, he sat on the bed pulling her to him, soon he found himself cradling Kim. "I'm so sorry, I lost our baby Tommy I'm so sorry. He was rocking her now. "Shhh It's not your fault Beautiful."
" I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, I just was afraid that you'd be angry with me or that he'd go after you too." She was trying to protect me? Tommy closed his eyes swallowing the pain.
Once she had calmed in his arms, he decided to speak.
"It was him…tonight wasn't it?" He held her closer, feeling her nod her head in his chest.
"He'd called my apartment saying he was on his way, that's when I called you."
" After you hung up…." Tommy began to ask…Kimberly closed her eyes envisioning what happened next.
"Please hurry Tommy…" She hung up and tried her best to hide.
"I know you're in there Kimmy…" One more bang on the door, then Kim heard fragments of the now destroyed door scatted on the hard wood floors. She covered her mouth trying to cover her heavy breathing.
"Come out, come out, where ever you are…" He laughed.
Kimberly closed her eyes, praying for Tommy to get here in time.
Kim watched him move slowly into her room, she looked at the front door, then back at him, she was going to try and make a run for it from her hiding place. After mentally counting to three, she ran for it. Within seconds he dodged after her.
"Ah ah ah," He taunted catching her by her hair and throwing her back. She slammed on her glass coffee table shattering the glass. She took a moment to recover as he closed in on her. She could feel bits of glass in her back. She backed away and tried to run again, but found herself being slammed into the floor, Michael pounced on top of her.
She struggled to get him off, refusing to let him further victimize her. She felt a sting on her arm, then a warm liquid began to stream down it, and before she could act he place his weapon to her neck. She eyed the large slice of glass, barely breathing in fear it would slice her neck with ease. She felt him tug on her pants, then moved to his, succeeding in unbuckling his buckle and zipper, In the realization that he was meaning to Rape her, something snapped within her and she tapped into her crane strength sending him flying off of her. She gripped her arm trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use, there was blood everywhere and she was beginning to feel queasy and weak. Like and angle in the darkness, sirens could be heard. In the time it took for her to look toward the window then back to Michael, he'd vanished. Everything else is a blur to her until Tommy came.
Tommy held her closer. "It's over now, your going to be ok, I'm not going to let you out of my sight, I wouln't let anything happen to you beautiful." She leaned in to his protective grasp. Kimberly had doubt lingering in her mind. Michael would never let her go, not without a fight or her dead.
----
Kelly came upstairs after her shift was over, curious about how Kimberly was doing. She walked to see a man up in the bed with Kimberly holding her tightly, both asleep Kimberly for once looked peaceful.
"Finally" she whispered.
Hours passed but, Kim woke up still tired. Immediately she noticed that Tommy wasn't there anymore. "Tommy!? She yelled, starting to panic, her heart instantly racing. She thought of a million things until.
"Hey beautiful" She jumped at his voice. He entered the room carrying a tray. But upon looking or at her he instantly saw the terror on her face. "Hey..." He soothed, placing the tray on the nearby table, Almost rushing to her. "It's ok I just went to get you something to eat is all." He sat down next to her hugging her. "It's ok." He pulled her back to look in her eyes, seeing deep fear. He wanted to kill this guy, how dare it touch his beautiful and make her feel so unsafe.
"It's ok, your safe…you are safe." He cooed rocking her. "Hey I've got some great news."
She didn't respond. She just clung to him trying desperately to believe him.
"Your going to leave the hospital tomorrow."
She quickly looked up at him. Horror showing in her eyes.
"Really?" She faked a lightened tone then threw herself into ranger mode.
"Good I need to talk to Debbie to get some kind of security in my apartment, and go to the angel grove court house and get," Tommy placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her for from her rambling plans.
"Kimberly, your not going back there" Shear concern took over him. 'How could she possibly think she's going back there. Typical Kim, So stubborn.'
"What?" shock and relief on her face.
"Kim as long as I'm alive your not going back there."
"But Tommy… That's completely unrealistic and all my things...and I…"
"Jason and I will worry about that."
"Jason? Jason is still in angel grove?" Kim seemed hopeful. She hadn't seen her best friends in years, let alone Jason.
"Yeah he and I work together, we teach martial arts by the school and Ernie wants someone to take over the Juice Bar, He's been talking to Jason and I for sometime now, but we haven't decided yet."
"Wow it looks like you've got your hands full…I don't want to impose..."
"Kim you're never a burden, I love you and I would give anything if you'd stay with me."
Kim searched his eyes, she was in disbelief, and she couldn't help but smile. "You really mean it Tommy? I mean, even after all this?"
"Of course Beautiful, I thought I lost you once, I won't lose you again."
She reached out to hug him, At last there lips locked, in a long awaited kiss. It took Kimberly's breath away, filling her whole body with joy and comfort.
"Okay." It was settled then. Kimberly was going to stay with Tommy.
As night fell, Kimberly's bandages were checked and rewrapped, Tommy kept a very close vigil, while keeping Jason informed. Kimberly's doctor ordered heavy relaxers which helped to keep her calm and rested. Nine pm had approached, and it was the nurses last log for her chart, it was then she was given a sedative for a doctors ordered deep sleep.
As Tommy watched Kimberly's eye's slip shut, the much needed sobs flooded from him as he kneeled next to her bedside gripping her soft hand, the pain was crippling him as he held it all in, in order to be strong for her.
Then next morning Kimberly awoke to Tommy's hand on hers, his head was resting on the bed as he leaned from the bedside chair. Warmth and security filled her soul as she smiled upon him.
"Hey…" She said softly, stroking his dark spikes with her hand.
Instantly he woke, looking into her light brown eyes.
"Have you been sitting here all night?" She asked concerned.
"I must have dosed off…" He lied.
Interrupting their moment, a women, who was almost too perky came singing in the room. "I just have some withdraw papers here to sign and the Doctors instructions to follow in here" She held up a large bag. "Here are all the bandages that you're going to need, after about 10 to 14 days you can leave your arm unwrapped. No stretching, reaching, lifting or holding heavy items with your bad arm of course; you'll need someone to put this on the other wounds. You also need to make in appointment with your primary care provider for a follow up, Okay?"
"K" Kimberly took the papers and signed them carelessly. As quickly as she could manage she got dressed, thanks to Tommy grabbing her some clean clothes.
Much to her delight they were out of the hospital and in the fresh daylight.
Ok, I hope this re-do helps with the medical practicality, and time placement, I don't know much about Power Rangers after Mighty Morphin, so bare with me if I mess up anything said about the Turbo, and Dino teams. This story is actually finished, But I'm making spelling, and writing corrections as well as filling in wholes in the plot. Thank you to my loyal readers and those who have given me constructive criticism. Please Read and review. Thanks.